GCSE Dance. Yr 10

You should now have almost completed your ALC booklet. Please let me know if

you are still struggling. Remember you should also complete the feedback

questions on the 6 and 12 mark question tutorial this week- Deadline 25th May

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Task: You should have the following:

"Within her Eyes" by James Cousins.

The themes in Within her eyes, are as follows:

1. Love

2. Lost Love

3. Present Support

Watch the opening of the dance from the initial credits to 0.59. using

your GCE dance videos. Consider where she has been videoed and what

effect she is trying to create, the lighting at the time of the recording and

the simplicity of the movement material.

Choose what you wear carefully please.

Using one of these themes from Within her Eyes to create a max 30

second long gestural sequence that can be filmed from behind. Deadline

18th May

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Remember to send your video file to me or to upload it to P.Cloud

https://transfer.pcloud.com/ Have fun.

Within Her Eyes

James Cousins

Company

BASIC FACTS

February 2016 (launch of Within Her Eyes)

7th

September 2012 (date of first performance

of There We Have Been).

Dancers – 2, 1 male 1 female

Duration – 17 minutes

Structure: 6 continuous sections

defined by changing locations

CHOREOGRAPHER INFORMATION

As a choreographer James Cousins was

recognised by Time Out magazine as one of

the future faces of dance, branded 'strikingly

original' by The Guardian, called ‘a rising

star’ by the Independent and described by

Matthew Bourne as ‘one of the UK’s most

promising choreographic talents’. In 2012,

he was the winner of the inaugural New

Adventures Choreographer Award, where his

work was critically acclaimed as

‘outstanding’, ‘visually breath-taking’ and

‘spellbindingly beautiful’ at a sold out

performance at Sadler’s Wells, London.

COMPANY

James Cousins company, founded in 2014 by James and Creative Producer Francesca

Moseley, is the vehicle through which James explores new ideas with his team of

collaborators and tours his critically acclaimed productions throughout the UK and

internationally. At the heart of the company is a rich learning and participation programme,

driven by James' passion for nurturing and enabling young talent to grow.

CHOREOGRAPHIC APPROACH

The film uses the choreography from Cousins’ critically acclaimed stage production There We

Have Been and sets it outdoors in a bleak landscape. For the original choreography James

worked from two starting points; narrative and emotional themes and the physical idea of

keeping the female dancer off the floor. The movement was created in collaboration with the

dancers through improvisation, which was all filmed and then learnt back from the video.

James then pieced these segments together into a structure that reflected the narrative arc

of the story.

Describe and explain a performance environment in Within Her Eyes.

Question: Describe and explain the performance environment in Within Her

Eyes.

Answer: In the prologue of Within Her Eyes the dancers are set in a deserted

street this gives a feeling of loneliness and isolation. There is a graveyard which

the dancer walks through it has a large concrete cross ahead of her this could

suggest she has lost someone close to her. The sky is overcast and light grey

with drizzling rain which creates a blank atmosphere.

STIMULUS

For Within Her Eyes, James wanted to create a love story with a twist. Inspired

by both personal experiences and well known narratives, Cousins wanted to

portray a unique narrative combining themes of love and loss, dependency

and loyalty, longing and memory. Rather than a conventional love story where,

despite the bumpy road, the characters end up together; Cousins wanted to

flip it around to portray a story where, no matter what happened, ultimately

they could never be together.

PERFORMANCE ENVIRONMENT

Site sensitive; dance for camera. Filmed by Scratch.

TASK Using different colours, highlight the POINT, EVIDENCE and EXPLANATION

in this answer.

Point Evidence Explain

WHAT: Make your point in answer to the

question

WHERE: Give an example from the dance to back up

your point

HOW/WHY: Explain yourself to make it

clear

Question: Describe and explain the physical setting in the first section of the

performance of Within Her Eyes by James Cousins.

Answer:

TASK Your turn, have a go at this question remember: Make your point, give

evidence from the video and explain why or what this might suggest.

On this page we will be looking at how to describe the physical setting and

analysing this from Within Her Eyes.

Focus Description

Prologue Deserted streets, graveyard, overcast sky and drizzle of rain Colours, grey, white, minimal, black,

1.The Beginning

Two locations, an open vast field where long grass moves in the wind. The hill in the distance becomes second setting. A barren cliff top with uninterrupted views. Colours: green, white, grey

2.Moving Close

A field looking towards a misty valley with hills in the distance. Colours: green, grey, brown

3.Flow One A dense forest with shafts of light coming through the trees. Colours: Dark Green, brown, black

4.Kneeling A field at dusk with long grass around them. Dancers become silhouettes Colour: Blue, grey, black

5.Flow Two Three Locations: A cliff top a quarry and the field which has been seen in previous sections Colours: Blue, grey, black

6.Floor Returns to field as seen in ‘Kneeling’, the dancers are in a small clearing. Colours: White, green, grey, black, blue

DESCRIBE:

TO SAY WHAT YOU SEE

Describing and Analysing Setting

Focus Explanation

Prologue Deserted streets, graveyard, overcast sky and drizzle of rain suggest a sense of isolation that the girl may have lost someone close to her. Rain and overcast sky leave a feeling of emptiness and create a bleak and blank atmosphere.

1.The Beginning

The environment appears infinite which further reinforces the dancer’s isolation and enhances the lonely mood. The vast space also complements the choreographic intent as the dancers are using as much space as possible between them whilst remaining in contact.

2.Moving Close

The grass in front of the dancers makes the set seem less barren than the cliff top, however it still seems isolated and the mist gives a sombre atmosphere.

3.Flow One The more enclosed performance suggests the dancers are getting closer and the relationship is getting more intimate. It suggests that time has passed by.

4.Kneeling The field at dusk contrasts to a previous setting and suggests a more intimate mood. It reinforces the idea that the dancers are getting closer and shutting themselves off from the world.

5.Flow Two The quarry seems secluded but also a harsh environment which could reflect the tension in the relationship. The locations being mixed together could suggest a play between reality (in the field where they have just been) and an internal struggle (the harsh environment of the quarry)

6.Floor The setting appears much more intimate as they are surrounded by grass and closer to the floor. This more intimate setting is complemented by the dimmer lighting.

ANALYSE:

TO SAY WHAT THE

MOVEMENT MEANS

Structure

TASK Watch ‘Within Her Eyes’ and comment on the structure of the piece.

There should be 6 parts to the dance. A prologue followed by 6

continuous sections, defined by changing locations, physicality and

music that reflect the developing relationship. The overall effect is one

seamless journey.

Focus Description

Prologue

1.The Beginning

2.Moving Close

3.Flow One

4.Kneeling

5.Flow Two

6.Floor

Lighting Overview

Within Her Eyes was filmed OUTSIDE and uses NATURAL LIGHT. The film was shot in Wales in mostly grey, gloomy weather, which gives it a sombre atmosphere. In post-production the film was given a slightly dark undertone enhancing the mood further.

The light gradually fading and becoming darker as the dance progresses reflects the

passing of time in the relationship and also adds to the sense of intimacy as the

characters become closer towards the end of the piece

TASK Watch each section carefully comment on what the lighting looks like and describe

the colours you can see in each section fill in the table. Then think about what that

could mean and analyse the lighting and fill in the table on the next page.

Focus Explanation

Prologue

1.The Beginning

2.Moving Close

3.Flow One

4.Kneeling

5.Flow Two

6.Floor

Costumes TASK: Draw, colour and label the costumes in Within Her Eyes

In the prologue, she wears a jumper over her costume. She wears a light coloured shirt that is thin and delicate and is worn buttoned up to the top. This reflects her vulnerable, fragile & conservative character. The light colours link her to the heavens. The clothes are easy to move in and allow the movement to be seen clearly. The shirt buttoned to the top suggests she is conservative & reserved.

The male dancer wears dark and earthy colours. The colours reflect the support & stability he brings to the relationship. The dark colours link him to the ground. He wears everyday clothes that help the viewer to see them as people and read into the narrative of the relationship. The darkness of his costume contrasts with the lightness of hers adding to the sense of her floating on him in the space, especially the floor.

The accompaniment of the work is an original score composed by SEYMOUR MILTON, which fuses electronic and classical sounds. It was created in collaboration with JAMES COUSINS alongside the choreography.

There are two clear halves that reflect the structure of the choreography and the narrative and TWO CLIMAXES that correlate to the end of both FLOW ONE & FLOW TWO.

The accompaniment helps to communicate the dark and sombre

atmosphere and adds tension but is also delicate to reflect the fragile

relationship. The score uses strings that are very emotive, as well as

piano, which gives a fragile and tentative quality

Accompaniment

TASK:

Accompaniment

Complete the mind map, listen to the music for James Cousins

and describe the instruments used in the different sections.

Question: Describe and explain the climax in Within Her Eyes

Answer:

Question: How does the accompaniment communicate a mood and

atmosphere in Within Her Eyes?

Answer:

1. How many dancers are there in Within Her Eyes? (1)

2. Who is the choreographer? (1)

3. What is the dance about? (2)

4. What was the choreographer’s stimulus? (1)

5. What date was the first performance of Within Her Eyes? (1)

6. What is the name of the company who performs Within Her Eyes? (1)

7. Describe the set/props used in Within Her Eyes (2)

8. Explain the set/props used in Within Her Eyes (2)

9. Describe and Explain a motif from Within Her Eyes(6)

TEST

10. What is the style of dance used in Within Your Eyes? (1)

11. Describe and analyse the costume of the dancers (6)

12. How does the accompaniment help communicate the choreographic intent to the

audience? (3)

13. What is the accompaniment for Within Her Eyes? (1)

14. Who is the lighting designer? (1)

15. Describe the structure for Within Her Eyes and explain how it communicates the

choreographic intent (4)

Mark /33

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